‘Tis The Season. .Loonie Fans are Prowlin’ and Growlin’

‘Tis The Season… Lunatic Fans are Growlin’ and Prowlin’

.

College Football 2018 heads into the home stretch. In its wake are the discarded champagne wishes and caviar dreams of a scant two months ago.

Ahhh Pre-Season… the annual rebirthing of the idyllic hopes and dreams of kickoffs yet to be kicked… foes yet to be vanquished… hated rivals waiting to be chided… sleeping giants primed to rise from their eternal slumber. Surely THIS will be OUR YEAR. … and Then as champagne turns to vinegar… caviar dreams to nightmares… Reality Bites. Here We Gp Again!

As in the words of little Hamchuck in Green Berets when he is told by Col. Kirby that his Petersan has been killed…

This has NOT Been Our Year… well, at least not by our quite unrealistic expectations.

Just another season to be discarded on the ever-growing pile of “Might Have-Beens”.

It is mid-November and your team is still not “bowl eligible”; or, horror of horrors, is mathematically eliminated from even the glory(?) of Christmas in Shreveport. But… but I didn’t want it too.”

What to do… What to do ???

You go out to your tool shed and… (1) You pull out that same pitchfork you seem to pull out each season about this time. (2) You wrap some rags around a stick and pour some lighter fluid on it. So armed with your pitchfork and torch, you…

Find a cyber mob of like-(no) minds with little or nothing to live for other than existing vicariously thru the success of others.

If, invariably, that choice of others fails to meet your lofty definition of successful then… You vent your wrath and disappointment towards anyone and everyone connected with your chosen “others” who dared to let you down. Thereby reaffirming to whatever passes for family, friends, and curious observers why they all laugh at you. You do all this rompin’ and stompin’ pretty much every year as long as anyone can recall.

So many pitchforks… so many torches… and all for WHAT?

##

Over in Chapel Hill... Despite a shiny new $32,000,000 Indoor Practice Facility AND 40,000 seatbacks AND cupholders; the Fighting Fedorians are on schedule to be even more forlorn than last year. Oh My! If, by early October. the phrase “injury-plagued” is already being used AGAIN you know “bowl eligible” does not appear a worthwhile achievable goal AGAIN.

That the question When is Midnight With Roy? was asked in early September following The Dowdy-Finley Massacre; ya kinda knew any prospect of a Happy Autumn on Franklin Street was not to be.

When the question What’s his buy-out? is first uttered… easily disgruntled loonies begin scrounging thru their sheds for those pitchforks and oily rags. The first rounds of nasty comments appear on rabid fan sites.

That the Buy-Out question was being asked by angry villagers with very short-arms and no intention whatsoever of donating to said buy-out… is traditional. If they had either achieved or inherited enough wherewithall to donate to the buy-out, they likely have lives full enough to not be obsessed by the lack of success of a football team.

##

Twenty-five miles to the East… Reality did not Bite until late October allowing for 6-8 weeks of Maybe This Year… Maybe Maybe?. Then “Lucy”- AKA Dabo – yanked the football away once again… An ill-fated trip to wherever Syracuse is; and then a freakin’ rookie QB from freakin’ Wake Forest really pissed in the Carter-Finley punchbowl.

It should be encouraging to Wolfpack loyalists that a 9-3 season is now judged “underachieving” but such is not the mindset of a pitchfork & torcher. At least it was mid-November before anyone asked “What’s that moron Doeren’s buy-out?” Again, with no intention of contributing to whatever it is.

That “Moron Doeren” and his band of 9-3 (maybe) underachievers accompanied by a 1,000 or so mega-loyal Carter-ites WILL go abowlin’ to somewhere that The Wolfpack Club ticket-sellers will try to make sound exotic.

“Moron Doeren” will get his bonus – enough for a coupla jet skis for Lake Gaston – and the players will get some tacky bowl swag… which is more than anyone 25 miles to the West will be getting.

##

Meanwhile twixt Raleigh and Chapel Hill at The Wally in The Gothic Rockpile named for the notorious robber baron Dukes… at least one flaming nitwit “has had it with Cutcliffe”. A 3rd consecutive thumping over The Most-Hated Rival was not a convincing ENOUGH Thumping.

That one flaming nitwit wants a coach that can “take Duke Football to the next level”. And we all thought Crystal Mangum, or Mikey Nifong, was the stoopidest human in Derm!

##

Up in Beamersburg VA, everyone named Fuente or anything close to that is posting signs on their property saying WE ARE NOT HIM. Around Blacksburg, Bud Foster has been almost Dean Smithian as a sainted figure – THE Defensive Guru. No more…

Be 4-5 in mid November giving up 49 – 45 – 49 – 31 – 52 points in those five losses and one of those “49s” was against Old Dominion and one’s status as a Sainted Guru gets tarnished really quick.

##

Prodigal Son Marc Richt ain’t so beloved in Coral Gables any more. Cries of “Bring Back Larry Coker” are being bellowed. Larry Coker ?

##

In Tallyhassy… Willie Whatshisname has gone into WITSEC. I bet Jimbo’s ex-wife – Candi – is hiding Willie in her basement along with her cabana boy, her personal trainer and her Life Coach.

##

And up in Louisville, Cardinals fans are finally joining the rest of America in a visceral dislike of Bobby Pitrino. His buy-out is akin to the GNP of Guatemala and Papa John is not around to pay it any more.

And so it goes… ‘Tis the Season for Lunatic Fans to be agrowlin’ and aprowlin’… and everyone of them crazy SOBs can Vote… and can Breed…

.

Q: BobLee, BobLee… What about ECU?

A: I understand they still have really purty coeds..

.

ALERT: The End could be near! I am sorta kinda taking the advice of the notorious Bre’r Kennel. …. Noooooo…

Look, it’s been a rough week for Ol’ BK – at least the Thursday night part of it. I said “sorta kinda”.

I checked with our resident Theologian – Prince Albert – who has confirmed that BobLee takes advice from Kennel is indeed in Revelation right after “The rivers will run red with blood and pigs will fly”.

Henceforth you will not see OVERT political commentary on THIS PAGE. I qualify “overt” because it is impossible in 2018 America to combine a subject with a predicate that does not identify one’s ideology of choice.

.

NOTE:I recently had a NRA-hating, Beto O’Rourke Lovin’, Trump-Hater from West Texas ask me to use my prominence as a highly-respected compu-media celebrity to “unite rather than to divide America”. IOW, I should be less-partisan.

“…highly-respected Compu-media celebrity” ?? I like the sound of that!

.

Having emerged as a full-blown Twitter Phenom, – @BobLeeSays – I can cause more mayhem and carnage to Lib/Dems via Twitter than I can via BobLeeSays commentaries. Ergo I am concentrating those efforts over there. However…

I will be posting The Best of BobLee’s Tweets in the Deep Thoughts & Awesome Tweets (DT&AT) segments posted on this Home Page.

Opening DT&ATs will be like “going skinny dipping at midnight in a slasher flick”. That scene in every slasher flick where the teenage boy and girl at summer camp sneak out for a midnight skinny dip… as Jason / Leatherface hones the blade of his machete and/or chain saw. Noooo… Don’t Do It !!! …. You do so at your own peril.

Here on BobLeeSays we will concentrate on exposing and ridiculing the NON-Political facets of human evolution. I estimate at least 10+ years of column fodder yet to be harvested.

Reply to Dale.What BobLee said is correct. I’m pretty much team agnostic. Don’t hate or have a team but I am a huge fan of sports and the human silliness it can cause..FWIW I think the 2018/19 Duke MBB team could “Alabama” the NCCA field if all stay healthy.

Dale, FWIW, I’m pretty sure Doug was referring to comments I MADE re: fans who are always demanding Sports Executives be fired..Doug does know quite a bit about the Duke Tobacco story having worked for one of its later subsidiaries for a number of years. He confirmed your point that both Wash & Buck Duke were born well after slavery was abolished. I’ve never known Doug to be a Dook-hater at all.

Reply to BobLee:You’re right about the daughter. Also Tom’s son Mark was UofL’s associate athletic director of marketing until he was fired in the AD’s purge. FWIW former NCSU assistant coach Bobby Lutz’s daughter is/was? also employed by Adidas.

Are shoe companies a good substitute for institutions which lack billionaire hedge fund alums?

Depending upon the lofty ambitions of the Booster Fat Cats… BOTH “shoe companies bag-men” AND “Hedge fund guys” could be necessary. The Really Serious “Wanna-Bees” will employ both….You’d like to think at least a few UofL-ville alums looked at all that incestuous nepotism and thought “huuummm, is THAT a good idea… seems kinda creepy to me??” I guess not.

Reply to Dr Wire:To add some irony the expansion of Cardinal Stadium, Adidas pitched in big $$ in the expansion to build the Adidas Lounge. Some call the school The University of Adidas at Louisville for the company’s $160M investment in athletics. This is the same company found guilty of defrauding UofL in just the latest basketball scandal trial. Who defrauded whom? Irony is indeed ironic. Not only did Bobby have a son and two son-in-law’s on his football staff but former AD Tim Jurich had his son on the AD staff. A family affair. It must have been fun while it lasted.

I believe it was/is Tom Jurich’s daughter, not son, who is the Adidas Rep. The UL “yucky can o’ worms” is a classic Glorious Mess that no doubt other institutions either “are” or “will” emulate. “Out-of-Control College Sports Programs” are not unlike High Profile Politicians and their Sexual Improprieties. The “yeah, BUT we/I won’t be caught like all those other dummies” is a universal mis-assumption..… such assumptions guarantee “people like me” an Amazon Distribution Center full of column fodder!

I attended the State at Louisville game yesterday as my third straight bi-annual trip to Louisville. It is a great town to visit. I do a lot of bizness with some great folks in Lu-vul so we tailgate together, but not yesterday. They all stayed home. COmmon refrain was “we no longer have a football team”. Bars, parking attendants, beer & Maker’s Mark concessions and hotels near stadium all whining over drop in $ flow. Attendance reported as 48K; actual more like 20K. My how the mighty have fallen while they stare at an empty $35MM stadium expansion..Conventional wisdom is Petrino firing was delayed while UofL AD (a Kentucky guy a la Todd Turner) sought any dirt he could find on Petrino to fire him for moral discretions. Low and behold, he has no skeletons they can report. Although everyone, even BL, believe he is a slimey, scumbag, apparently he is no longer than guy. The result is a $14MM vacation. Next stop could be a staff job on his brother’s team at U of Idaho Vandals or job on a staff of a coaching fraternity friend while waiting for another job like his post-Ark stint at WKU..Brohm is supposedly their pending Mesiah. IMO he would be nuts to quit Purdue for The Ville unless he wants to fall on his sword like Les Robinson did for State..Louisville athletics is in a bad place. UK guys in leadership positions as they recover from money scandals with former chancellor, the exorcism of the Jurich era of best in country facilities and the mass exodus of the “money guys”. This new $14MM line item in the budget and probably a $34MM lost law suit or settlement payment to Pitino after FBI trial went on record to say he was out of the loop will be a deep hole. It will take a while to reach a new ecolibrium at a place that is only 4-5 years removed from having a membership in the elite club of nationally prominent BB, FB & non-revenue programs.

MOST EXCELLENT Assessment of “what can happen when…”. I envision that someone or ones in positions of influence at U-Lou told Tom Jurich 15 or so years ago – “We want to be a National Power in MBB and FB… PERIOD!”. And Jurich said “OK, but be careful what you ask for.” And he delivered PERIOD..UL had had national success under Denny Crum in MBB but FB was moribund until Howard Schnellenburger arrived for a brief turnaround. Then Papa John pushed his pizza millions into the ante and “If $$$ can buy it then we can have it…” and first thing ya know Pitino then Pitrino I and Pitrino II followed..My negative view of BP are not just his motorcycle tryst in Ark w/ the volleyball coed but that plus his various shenanigans with Falcons, et al. Just as with Rick P with his episode in the Italian Restaurant and all his Sgt Schultz’ crap with all the shenanigans in UL MBB. Consistent patterns of behavior over 10-20 years..Has it all been worth it for the rank/file UL alum/fan? Would they do it all over again given the opportunity?.How many other desperate fan bases (and Booster clubs) would sell their souls and institutional reputations for “A Few Seasons in The Sun”? … My guess = more than we would like to think!

Replying to Dale & BLS:Re: Robber Barons….Like BobLeeSays said, those accusing individuals or corporations of being “robber barons are typically “those who are NOT themselves in any sort of management especially executive level. … those not accustomed to making decisions involving Big $$$ with High Profile accountability.”

Nobody comes to UNC games even when they are a winning team. No way I fire Fedora. The Heels have been competitive in almost every game. They are probably closer to a .500 team than a 1-8 team. It’s hard to win when your QB throws it to the other team 3 or 4 times a game.

I sorta thought that way until just recently. It appears that those points you note may not be sufficient to prevent Coach Fedora’s dismissal. The results of next week’s game w/ State could be critical. Even a “competitive Loss” may not be sufficient.

BL,No email or the BellSouth.net Spam machine ate it. Good Column. Will NOT drift into the political arena….or try NOT to….difficult….but I am in the 12 step program..Rivers running RED and PIGS flying. That DID happen. Florence and Michael stirred up the clay from the Piedmont and the Neuse and CF and Deep River and others DID run RED. As to the Pigs flying….since the pigs are not allowed to poop or pass gas based on a court ordered settlement….when the pigs FINALLY need to allow their bowels to be “relieved”, they most certainly, via the principle of jet propulsion…..DO fly….or maybe Wendell is transporting them since NCSU is not in a coaching search..Speaking of HFBC….You might want to google a local article about the termination of Bobby Petrino….one of the most scurrilous human beings known to stalk the sidelines on Saturday fall afternoons. The writer, from one of the TV stations nailed it. Mr. Tyra, the NEW AD fired Bobby. Ripped off his buttons and smashed his swagger stick and banned him from the Regimental Compound. Told Bobby….we will ship you your personal effects..Also fired Bobby’s SON and TWO SIL and chief Lieutenant (Scrounger). Then met with team. Had a motivational talk with them where they immediately went into BRAVEHART mode. Then held a presser and fielded every question. Watched an ACC gig and then had a LONG and thought provoking meal with the team and the NEW head knocker….The Defensive Safety Coordinator..Me thinks, and Br. K might well agree….that there is NO lock on a 3 – 0 Finish for the DD’s lads of West Raleigh. Quite the contrary. Every team will be gunning for a WIN. The HAT of course would probably buy Papa John’s for everyone in the stadium if UNC got a W. Word is that Swoff already has the fix in. Ron Cherry and Jim what’s name will be officiating..I think that NCSU will be going to the Wiss Pruning Shear Bowl held in a suburb of Texarkana….against the NC AT&T JV team…..I WUZ there last Thursday night….and it were COLD and MISERABLE. I should point out that I smashed (Shattered is what the Ortho Doc said) my left Femur on 10/2/18 and have a new internal playtoy….a 12″ Titanium plate with 20 matching screws. Only took 70 staples to close the 18″ wound in my left thigh. Am NOW confined to Walker or Crutches or Wheelchair and NON LOAD BEARING status (let the left foot hang out). Made it into CF in my Wheelchair and can now HOP around and get in and out of SUV and drive. Been quite an experience….as my left knee was LOCKED, due to 20 days of restraint in both external rods and also a surgical brace. Now have 105 deg of motion in the left knee….which is 40 more than I had less than 3 weeks ago. Hopefully will be on partial load bearing status right after Turkey holiday and THEN will have to learn to walk again….but I am a tough old bird….and am doing 3 or so hours of PT each day and then some extra credit to keep the left leg strong. OD’ing on SPORTS as the political scene and the stock market are depressing….and I don’t need any MORE bad news…..I have my share..Looking forward to your “Tweet Summary”. Maybe you can consult with You KNOW Who and improve his communications…..Gotta LOVE IT….

Bobby Pitrino WILL be hired by another school within 18 months or sooner. If Maxine Waters can be reelected to Congress twelve times, Bobby getting another gig is a cinch..Cal State-Northridge maybe !!!

OMG that was never my intent. I put on my Bluetooth headphones first thing each AM and turn on my current book at every opportunity. I go thru most 8-12 hour books in 2-3 days with others lined up in the queue.

Speaking of “Job Security”, I noticed in today’s N&R the raises announced for the 17 UNC campus Chancellors with one notable campus leader receiving none pending a review in March. Is the gig approaching the end for ‘little chihuahua’? Let us know how the fund raising is going for LF’s buyout after your lunch with the prominent AD.

Madame Chihuahua is on a different Review Schedule is all. She had received a bump in salary since Randy got his last one..“Lunch” was a Hoot. A strong suggestion NOT to lose to Western Carolina was my send-off comment. There was mutual agreement.

Well, BL, I was sitting down per your warning. Good for you !! Your excellent sports and literary knowledge are enough for many of us. Also it is a good time to take your AP political comments to the proper board. ( Of course I don’t draw a major distinction between lunatic fans and the fringe political fan boys and girls, on both extremes, in any case :>)).I know you had to include NC State in your comparisons but don’t think its apt. We have a good ballclub, and as disappointing as Thursday vs WF was,It seemed to me more a situation where rhythm was never established along with some uncharacteristically dropped passes..Of course this column is set up to jinx NC State against Louisville, UNC-CH, and ECU who will each be playing their “Bowl” game. I believe in Doeren for NC State as much as I do for Cutcliffe at Duke. They’re really made for each other :>))

Lunatics are Lunatics in whatever category or topic. Sports and Politics are very similar these days except Politics Mastters… and Sports Doeds Not..My comments were regarding a faction of the NCS fan base not the team or coaches. IMO, 9-3 is as very commendable season worthy of pride and optimism..BTW… if YOU drift into political waters in your comments I will come black atchas… but I won’t initiate it in the column.

FASCINATING FACTOID: I randomly check fan sites across the country. The Loonies all use the same phrases, insults and rants. Where posters have “profiles” I find that the ones who REALLY distrust / despise ADs, GMs, Head Coaches, Chancellors, etc are those who are NOT themselves in any sort of management especially executive level. … those not accustomed to making decisions involving Big $$$ with High Profile accountability..Probably not surprising, more reaffirming what you might expect.

I don’t foresee anyone else “getting the ax” this year BUT there could be move-outs due to taking other jobs creating vacancies. Pitt, BC and Syracuse are all having good seasons by recent standards. LF is probably the next one voted “most likely” and I just don’t see it happening UNLESS he gets STOMPED by NCSU and even then maybe not. OK, an L to Western Carolina could be un-good too.

REPLY TO: BobLee and Dale…Buck Duke was not a slave owner. Born in 1856 and was 5 when hostilities broke out in the Civil War. Buck Duke was however known for his robber baron business tactics and was responsible for causing the Black Patch Tobacco Wars in Tennessee and Kentucky from 1906-1908..Duke owned the American Tobacco Company monopoly and controlled 90% of the US cigarette market until it was broken up after the company was found guilty anti-trust violations under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and broken up. He then founded British-American Tobacco Company (my former employer) which was a huge success and remains so until today. BAT and RJ Reynolds merged in 2004. In 2017 acquired full control of RJR. The Duke Endowment was established in 1924. Today, neither tobacco users nor Republicans are welcomed on Duke’s campus. 😎

Loonie fans of losing teams on message boards are like liberals. They start eating their own (is this allowed under your new rules of engagement??) and blaming A-Z for their woes. According to one sportswriter Gus Malzahn’s buyout at Auburn is $34M with $16M of it due within 30 days of termination. Talking about short arms not kicking $$ into the kitty..As I have said it’s a good gig to be a fired BTCF or BB coach. Sorry I’m not smart enough to understand the buyout game. Where I come from, one works hard with the incentive to succeed and make more money due to success in a profession. Under the “buyout system” the incentive is distorted to also reward under-achievement AKA failure. Maybe you and CNR can point out the flaws in my thinking..Bobby Pitrino getting fired for being so bad gets him $14M. Take that Bobby!! That’ll teach you for mailing it in. His son and son-in-law, also on the staff, were canned too. Karma?? Nevertheless neither Pitino or Pitrino will suffer in the near-term..DD has done enough to assure himself another season in Raleigh. Said another way DD probably has not earned a one way ticket to BIG 10 or 12 land. I’m with you on Larry Fedora’s fate and David Cutcliffe will stay at Duke as long as he wants to. The tandem of Dave Clawson and Ron Wellman over at Wake might be as good as any of the Big 4 coaches/AD’s but few notice or care.

Yes… allowed under new rules of engagement. … I bet the whole Gianormous Buy Out Silliness is about to come atumbling down. Not sure where the Voice Of Reason will emerge from. I am meeting with “a Nationally Prominent AD” next week so I might ask him (or her?)..Clawson at Wake is dealing with the same issue that Grobe dealt with… they can recruit competitive first-stringers but NO DEPTH. By November they are usually playing walk-ons. Which makes it even tougher for Wuffs to deal with I guess.

It was told to me by a reliable DownEast guy who was at the game and checked Duke fan boards on his way back to Greenville. I have no reason to doubt him despite the UTTER STUPIDITY of the comment. Cutcliffe is PERFECT for Duke and Duke is PERFECT for him at this point in his career.

Wolfpack BB has redefined “one and done” with a freshmen player entering the opening game with 5 minutes to play scoring 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Then decides he has had enough and checks out. Glad I was there so I could see this phenom. And of course hapless L’ville fires their coach just before the Wolfpack plays them. I fully expect a Super Bowl performance from them Saturday.